Undergraduate Review

The Undergraduate Review, published yearly, showcases student research and creative work done as part of a class or under the mentorship of Bridgewater State University faculty. The goal is to disseminate this outstanding scholarship to a local, regional, and national audience.

List of Papers (Total 568)

Lost Leviathans: The Technology of Zheng He’s Voyages

By Mark Dwinnells, Published on 01/01/08

Superconducting Phases in Bulk and Thin Film LA2CuO4

La2CuO4 is considered as the parent material of all high temperature superconductors. The magnetic nature of the material is antiferromagnetic and it is an insulator. During this research we produced a superconductor by doping ceramic La2CuO4 with excess oxygen. There are different methods to intercalate excess oxygen into a sample, but in this project we used an electrochemical...

Synthesis of Phenoxides with Pendant Amines and Catalytic Intramolecular Hydroaminations

One core focus of my research project, (my 2007 summer research) is to make structural analogs of substituted phenols to support the titanium catalysis of organic compounds. The synthesis and study of these and related ligands, (pyrrolyls, aldimines, salens, and other nitrogen/oxygen heterocycles) is a major field of organometallic chemistry. Bulky phenols and their analogs serve...

Synthesizing and Characterizing Sr2FeMoO6 Bulk and Thin Films

A Sr2FeMoO6 (SFMO) pellet was synthesized to use as a target in the Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) chamber. The method chosen was a solid state reaction of SrCO3, Fe2O3 and MoO3. All three materials were combined stoichiometrically, ground in a ball mixer, and annealed for 36 hours at 1000°C. A pellet press was custom designed and used to press the annealed powders into a pellet...

Kinematic Analysis of Mylonitic Rocks, Southern Ruby Mountains, SW Montana: Evidence for Proterozoic Orogenic Crustal Thickening and Topographic Collapse

Mylonitic granitic rocks from a large shear zone within the southern Ruby Mountains in southwest Montana record evidence for a multiple tectonic movement history. The shear zone is 500 meters thick with ductile shear fabrics generally striking northeast and dipping to the northwest. Foliations in the adjacent country rocks are sub-parallel to the foliations within the mylonites...

Interactions of cis-bis Ruthenium Complexes with Monosaccharides

Molecular recognition and binding of oligosaccharides play an essential role in many biological processes including cell-cell recognition, signaling and adhesion. Our group is currently involved in the development of metal based receptors that can effectively bind specific glycoconjugates. Species that can selectively bind and chemically alter membrane glycoconjugates have the...

It's All in the Words: Determining the Relationship between Newspaper Portrayal of Rape Victims and Reader Responses

In order to better understand the effect newspaper portrayal has on reader opinion, it is necessary to explore news framing and structure. This study investigated the relationship between newspaper portrayal, or framing, of rape cases and how that portrayal influences reader response and perception. To determine reader response, participants were asked to read one of three...

Grandparents who Care for their Grandchildren

By Alzira Murphy, Published on 01/01/08

The Design and Testing of Hand Held Devices to Assist Persons with Disabilities to Navigate Bus Services

Many transit systems around the U.S. are using global positioning systems to track their buses. Some of these systems provide bus locations in real-time on web maps. With internet integration becoming common in portable electronics, this research project analyzed the opportunity to utilize mass market devices to assist the general public and persons with disabilities to access...

Horace Mann's Vision in Action: Bridgewater Normal School's Female Teachers

Through a close reading of Horace Mann’s archival material including official documents and speeches, this paper argues that Horace Mann expanded women’s social roles in the nineteenth century. Whether he intended such an outcome or not, Horace Mann’s agenda to improve common schools increased American women’s educational and professional opportunities. Drawing upon the popular...

Faculty Advisor's Note

By Laura McAlinden, Published on 01/01/08

Surge of Green: A Sustainable Approach to Conductive Polymers

By Bethany Masten, Published on 01/01/07

Bianchi Identities and Weak Gravitational Lensing

By Brian Keith, Published on 01/01/07